Re: DRAFT for a GR proposal concerning the Sarge release
On Wed, 28 Apr 2004, Hamish Moffatt wrote:
> I notice that some files that contain sourceless firmware do not
> actually have any license mentioned (eg acenic_firmware.h in the
> vanilla kernel source (but missing from debian's)). I assume the
> kernel's overall license dominates.
Those are potentially worse. Unless there's a statement from the
copyright holder on those works, you have to start from the assumption
that they are not licensed for distribution or modification at all, so
any such distribution or modification is likely to be infringing (and
illegal.) Hopefully in the case of some of these files, there is a
e-mail exchange extant somewhere documenting the license of them, and
it will be discovered and added to the license of the files, but until
that time, prudence demands that we refrain from distributing them at
all.
Don Armstrong
--
Of course, there are ceases where only a rare individual will have the
vision to perceive a system which governs many people's lives; a
system which had never before even been recognized as a system; then
such people often devote their lives to convincing other people that
the system really is there and that it aught to be exited from.
-- Douglas R. Hofstadter _Gödel Escher Bach. Eternal Golden Braid_
http://www.donarmstrong.com
http://rzlab.ucr.edu
Reply to: